Operation Arcstrike: Season 1:Detective Conan
by 1w346
Summary: When Samuel decides to help his friend Ania in testing a portal that can transport people to anime,manga and tv world; they are transported to the world of Detective Conan. Now they must find a way to get back home, while evading a new enemy and the Black Organisation.
1. Chapter 1: You built a WHAT?

**Hello everyone. My name is 1w346, but you can call me Sam. A friend of mine created a machine which could do the impossible, never imagining the mysteries and adventures that would come from it. So enjoy this first fanfic, or as I like to call it, the chronicle of our travels through the world of Detective Conan!**

**Operation Arcstrike: Detective Conan**

Chapter 1: You built a what?

It was just another Friday. I had just come home from university and was about to do what any normal 17 year old does after school. Then a call came which turned my normal perception of reality upside down. If I had known what was to come after I picked up that phone, would I still have answered it? Who knows? The world is full of unanswered mysteries.

The call was from a friend of mine. I picked up " Hi there Ania !" 18 year old Ania Karla was a old schoolmate I had known since I was 14. "Hi there Sam. I've called you since I have an invitation that I think you would like to be a part of. You were the only other candidate as you are the only one who was old enough and suited for this mission." I frowned. "This isn't a prank is it?"

"No, I'm serious, I need your help. What you are about to hear will blow your mind. Okay, it started when I took on a apprenticeship with the physicist at my university."

"You mean Jonathan Brown, renowned expert on wormholes and parallel universes?"

"Yeah him. Anyway I helped him to create a machine which can transport people into a TV, anime and manga world. He's running the first test tomorrow and he needs some test subjects to try out his machine."

"Ok, That sounds a bit crazy, but I'll help anyway."

"Great, pack your bag and meet me at this location tomorrow."

While Ania's claims sounded like something crazy story only a 14 year old would write, I trusted her and didn't want to break my loyalty toward my friends. So I packed my bag and decided to put in a couple of items which I thought would be useful. After all ,I think I knew what Ania had in mind.

ooo

Half an hour later, I was seriously bored as Dr Brown (Just call me Johnny) continued to explain the physics behind the portal. I have ADHD so I can't stay focused on monotonous tasks for too long otherwise I get distracted. Then Johnny's voice pulled me back to reality. "So do you have any questions before we begin?"

"Does time run faster inside the other world?" Johnny chuckled. "Getting bored are we?"

"Sort of."

"As a matter of fact it does. No matter how much time you spend on the other side, you will always emerge from the portal on this side 30 seconds after you left. Also,I modified the portal to give you enhanced abilities. Say for example you can't speak a certain language. Well I modified the portal so that you could speak the language fluently when you are inside." I nodded. That was going to be really useful with where I thought we were going. "Now let me introduce you to my lab assistant,Rodriguez Schmidt." A man with a crooked face walked in. "He will be helping me to operate the portal."I frowned. I didn't like this person and I wasn't sure I could trust him. But I decided to continue on anyway. Ania suddenly burst into the room carrying her pack. "Sorry I'm late Doctor. Bus was slow." She waved cheerfully, "Morning!" I nodded. "So Nia, are you ready to choose your destination?"

"Yes Doctor." She opened up a keypad and started typing something which I guessed started with D and ended with N. "All set." Johnny led us into another room. This one had a large metal ring that was glowing blue inside. For some reason the room seemed to give off a Stargate vibe. I looked over at Ania. "Do you want to go first?"

"Ok. Might as well make history." She shrugged. She stood inside the middle of the portal, I tried to follow, but Schmidt held me back. "One at a time." He said.

"We are ready!" Johnny shouted. "Medium power please Schmidt!" I could have sworn I saw an evil smile as he pushed the lever. All the way up. Not good.

The portal crackled and lightning and electricity started to spark off the portal. Sirens blared and Ania screamed in pain. "That's too much Schmidt. You'll kill her!" Schmidt pulled out a revolver from his lab coat. How did he get it past security? "That's kind of the idea. And you will never tell anyone about this, ever!" We were trapped in a lab with a maniac with a handgun. Ania was still screaming. My brain responded with a flight reaction and I suddenly wasn't in control of my actions. All I knew was that I needed to get out of there. I dived behind a upturned table next to Dr Brown. He didn't look scared."I'm fine. The security will be here soon anyway. Go help Ania." I nodded and started running towards the portal. I started counting the gunshots. Three, two, one bullets left in the chamber. A stray bullet must have hit it as the portal started to give off yellow sparks. I tackled Ania inside the portal and we both vanished. The last sound I heard were more gunshots and then I fell unconscious.

Conan Edogawa and Ran Mouri were on their way back to the detective agency. Despite being continually being by her side, Conan wanted to tell her the truth. The one truth about his real identity and the true reason why he was staying away. And for some reason he felt that time was coming soon. Nobody noticed two unconscious teenagers suddenly appearing out of nowhere in a nearby back alley.


	2. Chapter 2: The ham is in the sandwich!

Chapter 2: The ham is in the sandwich!

I could hear voices. _Maybe I'm dead. Oh how I hoped it would never have to come to this. Why? Wait, if I can hear things, I'm probably not dead. Get moving Samuel!_ "Sam are you feeling alright?" Oh it was Ania. I sighed. "Better ask that question to you. You nearly got electrocuted!" I could see now. We were in an alleyway of some sort. "My brain hurts a bit, but I'm totally fine."

"Do you remember what happened?" I asked standing up. "Schmidt pushed the lever up to full. After that, nothing. The tests we ran, the power was never meant to go up that high. We should have let him undertake his project."

"Schmidt pulled out a handgun and went nuts. I pushed us through the portal and now we're here. Which reminds me, where are we? We wouldn't happen to be in a place filled with murderers and a certain 7 year old detective, would we?" Ania looked at me and grinned. "How did you guess?" I started walking towards the street and looked around. Beika city looked even more impressive when you were in it, rather than in a black and white manga. "You have been obsessed with Detective Conan ever since I have known you." I turned around. Time to get serious. " Is there any way to contact our reality?" Ania nodded. She started rummaging through her bag. She pulled out what looked like an Iphone. "This is for you. It's a dimensional communicator."

"Couldn't we just call it a D-com for short?" She nodded. "We can contact the portal and get it to teleport us home if there was an emergency. So let's see if it works." She pressed the red button on the bottom. Nothing happened. She pressed it again. Still nothing."Uh oh."

"What's wrong?"

"Its not working. The portal must be down." The realisation sunk in. We were stuck in a world chock full of criminals, as well as a full time mafia.

ooo

We stared at the D-com for what seemed like forever. I sighed, there was only one thing to do. "Ok, so I've read a couple of stories of people being stuck in their favourite anime before and I think I have a good idea what we need to do."

"Ok what first?" While Ania was acting really excited, I had a feeling that the Russian girl was freaking out inside. So was I, but we needed to survive. "We need to find a place to stay. We can't exactly live on the streets."

"Where? We don't even know where anyone's house is."

"Doc Brown enhanced our abilities right? So if we look at a street sign..." Small english lettering suddenly appeared under the Japanese character. "Subtitles! Wow, that is messed up! And awesome too." Ania grinned." I like where this is going, continue."

"I already have the location, we just need a map."

ooo

"Are you sure this is going to be a good idea? I mean, its not like you can just walk up to the front door." We were outside 2-22 Beika street, the home of Shinichi's neighbour, Dr Agasa. "No, you'll be knocking. I think primary school will be over by now, so logically Haibara should be home. Dr Agasa's car is also in the driveway, so watch what you say. Since you are another lost teenage girl on the run, Haibara will most likely sympathise with you and convince him to let us stay." Ania shot a quizzical look at me. I shrugged. "Psychology course and too many episodes of Scorpion will do that for you. Now lets go."

Ania knocked the door. Someone on the other side peered through the peephole and nervously unlocked the door. Behind it was a little strawberry blonde 7 year old girl."Who are you?"

Ania looked the little girl in the eye."Haibara-san, we need your help."


	3. Chapter 3:A place to call home?

**I'll update this weekly or as often as I can.**

Chapter 3: A place to call home?

Haibara's eyes bugged on stalks. She was running a few tests in the basement when we knocked. After all, if two random strangers who somehow knew your name showed up on your doorstep and asked for your help, you would be scared too. This was definitely not normal. But hey, she made a drug which shrunk people down to their seven year old self, so her definition of normal was different to that of most people. She recovered fast. Haibara couldn't detect the aura that usually surrounded most organisation members, so it definitely wasn't them. But she still had to be cautious. She had seen completely innocent people commit atrocious crimes, so she couldn't be sure if the boy and girl in front of her were as peaceful as they seemed. Haibara decided to ask again. "Who are you? What do you want?"

ooo

Ania looked nervously at me."I screwed up, didn't I?" I sighed. The sun was starting to set and I didn't think I would like to be out after dark. "How about I just do the talking?" She nodded. Then a fat old man appeared behind Haibara. "Who are you two?" I sighed. "My name is Sam. This is my friend Ania." She gave a friendly wave. "I think it would be better if I explained everything inside." Dr Agasa looked at us suspiciously. I think it was due to the fact that two thieves tasered him and stole his living room rug before. That was one of my favourite cases. He sighed. "Alright come on in."

ooo

One long explanation later about everything (including the portal), Haibara seemed to open up a bit more towards us. But she still had questions. "One last thing. How did you know our names? I don't think we have seen you in a case before." Uh oh, this was going to be hard to explain. "Ok, um, the thing is, you guys technically aren't real." Haibara raised an eyebrow. "In the world we came from, you guys are in an anime and manga called Detective Conan that was created by a guy named Gosho Aoyoma. That has been going for twenty long years. And as far as I know, it hasn't ended yet." Haibara stroked her chin. "Interesting. Our lives are being controlled by strings. We are nothing more than puppets being controlled by a single man." I sighed. "Is she always like this?" Professor Agasa nodded. Nia broke the awkward silence. "So can we stay, please?" The doctor pondered this for a moment. "Alright, you two can stay. But promise me you will not reveal anything about the drug to anyone else." We bowed our heads in gratitude. "Arigato-gozaimashita doctor." He chuckled. "You're welcome. You two can crash on the couch-" He was interrupted by a small glasses wearing boy running excitedly into the house. "Professor! Kid just sent a new heist note and..." Conan realised that there were two people he had never seen before sitting on the couch having tea with the professor. I was feeling mischevious, so I decided to scare the pants off him.

"Hi Kudo!" I chirped cheerfully.

**Screwing with protagonist almost immediately on arrival. I'm so evil! Muhahah!**


	4. Chapter 4:The Heist

Chapter 4: The Heist

I almost laughed when I saw Conan starting to panic at the thought there were more people who knew his real identity that he hadn't met before. Then I felt a sharp prick in the back of my neck and I started to lose consciousness. The last thought I had before I blacked out was something along the lines of "So that's what it feels like"...

When I woke up, I started to wonder why my house looked a lot like Dr Agasa's house. Then I remembered where I was, and what was going on. I slowly sat up, and saw Conan looking at me curiously. "Ooowww... How does Detective Mouri put up with being shot over and over again?" Conan chuckled." He's too stupid to realise, Sam-kun. As long as he gets money and drinks, he probably dosen't notice." I turned to Ania. "You told him everything, right?"

"Guilty as charged." She said, raising her arm. I turned back to Conan and offered my hand to shake. "Well, you probably heard from Ania, but I'll say it again. My name is Samuel, but you can call me Sam. This is my friend Ania." Ania waved to Conan. "I'm 18 years old, the second portal user and I know a lot about Detective Conan." Conan sat down on the couch and smirked. "Sam, you play a lot of first person shooters right?" I nodded."How did you guess?"

"You have a serious down to business military attitude and you keep acting like a soldier in the army." I sighed. "I have got to break that old habit." Everyone laughed.

"So what brings you here Conan-kun?" Asked Ania, taking another sip of tea. Conan pulled a crumpled note out of his back pocket. "Kaito Kid sent another heist note for a jewel called the Butterfly Sapphire." Ania's jaw dropped. Her favourite character in the anime was the one and only..."KAITO KID!" I scrutinised the note. It read:

Under the darkness of moonlight,

I will take flight with the navy jewel,

On wings from the city hall.

Kaito Kid (Doodle)

I leaned back. "Well that one was pretty obvious. Kinda makes you wonder why he keeps sending notes before heist. It's a tactical mistake." I realised what I did and face-palmed. "I have got to break that habit." Ania was super excited. I guess she wanted to meet her idol. "Can we tag along?" She asked excitedly. Conan sighed. I reckon he had his hands full with Sonoko's fangirling, but another Kaito fan? This was a very weird day for him. He sighed. "Alright, you can both come." Ania pumped her fist."YEAH!" I was just grinning. I had a different idea. "Professor, you wouldn't happen to have any fish lying around would you?"

ooo

We pulled up at the Beika city town hall an hour before the heist was about to start. The police presence was heavy and there were a lot of cars from the Kaito Kid task force parked around the area. I chuckled. They never ever manage to succeed in catching Kaito Kid, so the taskforce is pretty much useless. If only they had 'inside' knowledge. But hey, I can't do that, otherwise it might screw up the timeline. Then again, that's exactly what we're doing right now...

"Sam?" Ania was looking nervously at me. "Are you sure that this prank is such a good idea? What if Kaito Kid comes after us?" I got out of the car and looked around. A crowd of fangirls was starting to form, but they were being held back by a police barrier. "Personally, as long as we don't reveal his identity until the time comes, we should be fine. Probably the worse case scenario would be he gets PTSD, but hopefully it shouldn't happen." Ania cocked her head. "Did I hear a but?" I followed Conan towards the city hall, ready to rumble. "Like I said, not going to happen! Probably."

"Ran-neechan!" "Conan-kun!" An 18 year old woman with spiky hair runs over to us. "So you must be the famous Ran Mouri! Conan-kun told me a lot about you!" I smile, keeping the friendly guy act up. She blushed. "Oh, Conan-kun told you that did he? He really is such a nice little boy right Conan-kun?" She said ruffling his hair. "H-hai." _Wow,it must be hard for him to keep up the little kid act._ "My name is Sam, and this is my friend Ania." Ania smiled. "Hi there! It's nice to meet you!" Ran nodded, then her phone rang. "Oh no,Conan-kun we have to go." She turned to us. "I'll have to catch up with you two later,bye!" The two hurried off. We stared after them. "Well that was short." Ania remarked. I turned around. No sign of blue t-shirt thieves loitering around. "Now's our chance. Let's go!"


	5. Chapter 5: Trust

Chapter 5: Trust

We ran for the back alley behind the town hall. "I heard that they're keeping the jewel on the top floor of the museum. Don't they ever learn?" Ania looked up towards the top of the building and continued."So how do you plan on getting us up there?" I opened my pack and pulled out a modified Nerf Strongarm blaster. There was a grappling hook and a winch attached to it."Okkkaayyy. So you made a grapnel out of a nerf gun." "There is about a hundred metres of light, high tensile rope inside the winch. I also made the motor strong enough to carry about 3 people up a vertical surface. This is the perfect oppurtunity for a test run." "So what, you expect me to hug onto while you winch both of us up?" I snorted and pulled another one of the contraptions out of the bag. "Don't be daft, I made one for you as well." Even after I showed her how to use the grapnel, Ania still had her doubts. "Are you sure this is safe?" I aimed the gun at the top of the building."You have to trust me. After all, Its going to be the most important value that we're going to need to survive here." I fired and started climbing up the top of the building. I started to plan where I was going to put the hidden camera when Ania hopped beside me. "Whew! That was intense. But of course I trust you. I've known you for many years and-GET DOWN!" She dove on top of me and pushed me to the ground. "Wait why-" She put her hand over my mouth, shutting me up. A police helicopter flew overhead, its searchlight missing us by millimetres. Eventually, Ania let me get up. "Thanks, I know I can trust you. Now let's get moving, we've only got 3 minutes until Kid gets up here."

ooo

The blue gem shone in the moonlight, giving off a gleam as the phantom thief turned it over. "Not pandora."he muttered. "Still no luck, Kaitou Kuroba?" I asked. The phantom thief turned to look at the two teenagers standing in the moonlight. I think he was shocked inside, but his poker face didn't show it. He just grinned. "Did Snake send you? I don't think he would send two untrained fools to do his job. Nah, it can't be, one of you is too beautiful." Ania raised her fist. "Try hitting on me, and you will end up having to explain a lot of things to a certain Nakamori Aoko. I don't think she would appreciate you cheating on her, after all the stuff you made her father go through."

"I could also tell Saguru Hakuba if you wanted to phantom thief. I know where I can always find you. Oh and might want to watch where your standing." Kaitou looked down,and saw a big red x on the ground. I pulled out a camera and started filming. Ania pulled a rope and something wet fell on Kaitou. He caught the object and looked up to see a bucket had been rigged to an overhead lamp. And what monstrosity had been in the bucket? Fish. Of course.

"FFFIIISSSHHH!" Kaitou started screaming like a little girl, and it was hilarious! I think the two of us busted a rib laughing our heads off. The thief dropped the fish and the gem; and ran for the edge of the roof. We were still laughing like hyena's as he activated his glider and flew away. Ania finally calmed down enough to come to her senses, so we packed our gear and made a run for it. "That was awesome!"

"Yeah, but let's never do that again. I think we almost gave him PTSD. Oh by the way, did you get the (snicker) footage?" I nodded, and we continued laughing all the way back to Beika street.

ooo

As we headed back towards Dr Agasa's house, I wondered where Conan had gotten to. It wasn't like him not to show up on the roof. We didn't know at that time, but Conan was stuck like a fly in a spiderweb. In order to get with the insect theme, Kaitou had placed heavy duty duct tape in a crisscross pattern in practically every doorway, similar to a spiderweb. The little detective was stuck in one of the webs, and couldn't get down. PHe other officers had went to get the bolt cutters to get him down,but they had probably gotten stuck too. He tried again. "Help me! I'm stuck!"


	6. Chapter 6: It's contagious!

Chapter 6: It's contagious!

Conan arrived at Dr Agasa's house, scratched and bruised. It had taken an hour for the help to arrive, and his skateboard had run out of power halfway back. Insult to injury? He had asked Ran if he could crash at Dr Agasa's for the night, as he would be helping Haibara in the morning in creating the antidote, and failing most likely. Dr Agasa's place was about ten minutes further than the Detective Agency, so when he came through the door, he plopped down on the couch and tried to catch some much deserved sleep. Then the couch started to move. "Oh hey Conan. Would you mind getting off me?" Conan turned and saw Samuel trying to sleep on the couch. Ania was sleeping on the other one and was mumbling something about phantom thieves and fish."Oh sorry Sam! I didn't mean to disturb you." Sam waved his hand. "Nah, it's cool. Couldn't sleep anyway. You have the couch, I've got work to do."

OOO

The sun filtered in through the window as Ania came out of the bathroom. She saw Samuel sleeping with his head down on the kitchen bench, pen and paper in hand. A mischievous grin crept on to her face, and inspired by last nights prank, she decided to wake him up. "WAKE UP SLEEPYHEAD!" Sam woke up with a yell, and fell off the chair and onto Ania. Ouch.

OOO

"Seriously? Was that really necessary?" I groaned as I got up. "Well it's eight in the morning, you practically overslept." I shook my head and looked around. Haibara and Conan were nowhere to be seen. "So what Ania? It's Saturday. I usually wake up at eight on the weekend." I grabbed a set of clothes. Black shirt, cap and jeans for me. " Be right back. I've got to get changed. Hey, where is everyone?" Ania pointed at the door and at the basement. "Dr Agasa went grocery shopping, and Conan and Haibara are down in the lab." I came out of the bathroom and shrugged. "Hopefully the Doc dosen't buy any sweet stuff. Haibara will murder him alive. You cool with pancakes?"

5 minutes later...

"So anyway, I came up with a list of rules that should make sure we don't get killed, or worse." Ania popped another piece of pancake into her mouth. "What could be worse than deat- Oh right, avoid shrinking." I nodded." Unless the portal can revert you back to eighteen if you get shrunk, we should probably avoid running into the Black Organisation at all cost. That's rule number one." Ania passed the empty plate over. "Ok I'm good. What's next?"

"Seriously! You only ate like one pancake! Do I really have to finish off the other five? Anyway, rule number two is that whatever we do, we don't screw up the timeline. We need to let everything play out as it should, hopefully with a happy ending. The final rule is that the only people who can know about us being from another universe are the people who know Conan and Haibara's real identities." Ania slotted her plate into the dishwasher and grabbed her backpack. "So that's it. Just three rules?" I nodded. "Well the top three rest are just common sense. And before we head out to explore, we've got to make a important decision." The doorbell rang twice, and Conan emerged from the basement."I'll get it!" Our eyes followed him beforeI turned back to look at Ania. "Looks like that decision might have to wait." Ania turned to look at the four figures approaching the table. "Well, at least we can get rid of the extra pancakes."

"Konichiwa! My name is Ayumi-chan."

"My name is Mitshuiko-kun."

"My name is Genta-kun. And we are the..."

"DETECTIVE BOYS!"

I chuckled. These kids were brave alright. Even though their young seven year old minds were innocent, they had seen horrors that should have been reserved for those older than them. Yet here they were, their energetic and excited faces showing no sign of the tainted things they had seen."Nice to meet you all. My name is Sam."

"And my name is Ania. We've heard a lot about you guys." The three kids faces broke into wide grins."Did you hear that?" Ayumi exclaimed."We're famous!" Mitshuiko confirmed with an excited smile. I offered them the plate. "Do you guys want some pancakes, I kind of made a few extra than I should have."

"Couldn't hurt, Edogawa-kun and I haven't eaten yet." Haibara shrugged as she came up the steps. "Alright then, let's eat!" Genta grabbed some plates and pancakes and handed them out to the rest of the group. "Itedekimas!" The kids [plus two shrunken teens] started to wolf down the pancakes. Amid the pancake-powered exclamations of excitement from the Detective Boys, I continued to talk to Ania. " We've both passed high school, so we could work temporarily part-time at the police department, or we could go to Teitan High undercover. We go to work, we could get more information on them, but if we go to Teitan High, we've got less of a chance of standing out. What do you reckon we do?" Ayumi looked up from her food. "Did you two just move to Tokyo?" I nodded at the cute little girl. "Yeah, we just got here yesterday." The little girl was getting more excited from meeting these new people. "If so, why don't we show you around? We know a lot about Beika! Especially Conan-kun!" Haibara swallowed the last piece of pancake."I guess I could use the break. Just let us get our stuff and we'll go." I nodded. "We better clean this place up too, otherwise the Doctor will get mad at us for messing up his kitchen." As we were cleaning up, Ania passed me my D-com and my backpack. "I reckon we should go undercover at Teiten High. People will be less suspicious if they see 18 year olds wandering around outside of school." I nodded. "Ok, so we're going to need to talk to Ran and Sonoko about getting uniforms and equipment so-"

"Hey! Are you coming or what!" Genta was standing at the doorway. I shrugged."Guess we'll have to sort that out later."

OOO

"And that is the Police Headquarters." Mitshuiko pointed to a large tan building. Police cars were lined up in the parking lot next to it, and officers were streaming into the building. Ania, being the anime fan that she is, took photo after photo as we walked on. ("It's for scientific purposes!") I wondered what it would be like to work there, and whether we would get to meet any of the famous officers of the force during our travels. "Hey guys, I need to go to the toilet. I'll try and be right back." Conan ran off towards the HQ. We gave a sigh of relief. We had been out for about half an hour now, and no dead bodies had appeared! "KKKYYYYAAAAAAA! HE'S DEAD!"

Me and my big mouth...

Ania and I turned around and saw a group of people staring inside a shop with what I hoped was a mannequin. Except mannequins don't have knives in their backs. And mannequins don't usually have blood pouring out of them. "Detective boys, you know the drill! Call the police, and maybe a doctor!"

"Got it!" We pushed our way through the crowd. "Why did you ask for them to call a doctor. There's a 72% chance he's already dead!" Ania turned to look at the body. "We need to contain Conan-kun. His shinigami disease has infected the Detective Boys!" I facepalmed.


	7. Chapter 7: The New Detectives

Chapter 7: New detectives

"The victim is Raki Ninzaburo, a 33 year old banker. Cause of death is due to a stab wound to the heart. The victim was discovered dead at 10:00 am, by Yama Shiba san." Inspector Meguire tutted and looked at the corpse. "According to witnesses, once the body had been discovered, two teenagers and a group of children cordoned of the area and inspected the body. We must interview them immediately. Does anyone know where they are?"

"That won't be necessary inspector. We're right here." He turned around and saw a boy with a black cap and red backpack walking over. Following behind him was a brown-haired girl holding some plastic bags. "I'm Ania, and this is Sam. We're... visiting Doctor Agasa. We were out touring Tokyo with the detective boys, when we heard the screams and ran over."

(Sam POV)

"Oh! So you have met the doctor before? So you must know the detective boys!"I nodded nervously. "Yeah, the entire group is out today. Only Conan-kun is missing as he went to the toilet. Speaking of the devil..." The chibi detective ran over. "Konichiwa Inspector! Are you here on a case?" I grinned.

"Hey guess what Conan-kun,"I stepped aside and revealed the corpse."Dead body." I deadpanned.

"Can we please cut the morbid sense of humour and get on with this." Ania sighed. I nodded and continued talking to the inspector. "I sent Haibara to buy some gloves; while Genta, Ayumi and Mitshuiko controlled the crowd and called the police. Ania, do you have the evidence?" She carefully passed a small black pocketbook over. The was a red bloodstain that had stained most of the cover, but the Kanji 'Raki Ninzaburo' could still be seen. 'We took photographs of the victim on my phone before searching the body. When we did, we found this. But what is most interesting is the fact that he would be meeting three people today, meaning we now have some suspects. Yama Shiba-san at 11:00am, a Keiji Kira at 12:00 am, and a John Yuuki at 2:00pm."

"Inspector, could you please ask some of your men to find these people?" Asked Ania. The inspector rubbed his chin. "Very well. I owe it to you anyway for handling the situation so quickly." He turned around and walked back to his men at the front of the shop. "Takagi-kun, I need..."

Conan prodded the body. "Something seems off to you?" Asked Ania. Conan nodded. " The temperature in this room is a bit warm. This means someone could have been using the air conditioners to hide the time of death." He pointed to the table. "Could you ask the forensics team to dust the controller for fingerprints, though I highly doubt that any will be found." I put on my gloves and nodded.

"Also, it's possible that the murder was premeditated, since the temperature was changed. The knife in the victim's body also seemed to have belonged to the victim, since when I checked the upstairs living area there was a one missing from the kitchen." I stood up. "Conan, there is something I, and a lot of people have been meaning to ask you. How long has it been since you 'disappeared'?" Conan sighed. "About a year and 9 months. I'm worried, Ran might catch on soon. She has been acting strangely. Treating me like I wasn't Conan, constantly smiling whenever she calls me as if I wasn't in hiding." It looked like he was about to break into tears. I passed him a box of tissues.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have brought that up."

OOO

"Inspector, we have questioned the suspects, and we have found that all their alibi's are solid." The sun was starting to set, and all the suspects had been rounded up. Yama-san had discovered the body at 10am when she opened up. She also reported seeing a figure moving about in her shop, but she suddenly received a phone call and missed seeing any fine details of the suspect. Keiji Kira was asleep until 7, but his roommate was with him most of the time. Mr Yuuki had a meeting with his secretary at 9 am. Ania shot me a knowing glance and motioned at our suspected murderer. I nodded, both our suspicions were the same. It was time to reveal our deduction. "This is a very simple case. Firstly, the murderer will be wearing clothes from this shop as the murder is premeditated. Secondly, the heat from the air conditioners changed the estimated time of death to around 3 hours later. However, the murderer didn't expect the arrival of Yama-san. And he left behind his fingerprints on the air-cons remote control. Because Mr Yuuki here has OCD, and he wipes off the fingerprints off the remote each day to prevent infection, we shouldn't have found any fingerprints on the remote, but we did! Therefore we can only conclude one thing." Ania pointed at the culprit.

"Keiji Kira, you are the murderer." She lifted up his tweed coat. "Sam found a bloodied shirt on its coat hanger in the dumpster behind the shop. If the coat hanger has the same fingerprints as the one on the remote, it proves beyond no doubt you-" Things happened in a flash. Mr Kira reached into his coat and flicked out a switchblade. "You're right. I killed that bastard. Serves him right for grassing to the cops." He lunged at Ania, but she dodged the attack and kicked him hard in the gut. He dropped the knife and with a groan of pain, collapsed on the floor. I whistled. "Where did you learn to do that?" She grinned. "Karate class. But whatever did he mean by the victim being a grass?"

"MEGURE-KEIBU!" A woman ran over. She seemed to be out of breath. The inspector turned around.

"What's wrong Sato-san?" The policewoman passed him her phone. "The lab called me. There is no such person as Keiji Kira. It's an alias for the serial killer Sanji Karu." Megure's eyes widened. "You mean he is the serial killer that stabbed 3 cops with his partner?! The one with the 10 million yen reward?!"

"TEN MILLION!" The detective boys eyes widened. I whistled.

"Well, the money would go to the Detective Boys, but they legally wouldn't be able to access it. So I'm afraid it should go to Sam-kun and Ania-san, as they are both over the age of 18." Genta pouted. I leaned in close to his ear. "Cheer up guys. I promise I will take you to get eel rice with the money."

Genta's smile widened."Deal!"

"Ahem!" Ania cleared her throat. "Can we discuss money after we put the cuffs on the serial killer." She motioned to Sanji Karu, still moaning in pain on the tiles.

**Hello everyone, it's been a rough 6 months, and its been really hard to write because I've been busy. Chapters may take longer to be uploaded.**


	8. Chapter 8:Miyano

Chapter 8: Miyano

It's been 2 weeks since we started living with Dr Agasa. After the clothing store case, he started giving us the reward as a allowance, since we don't technically exist, and we don't have operating credit cards. So far there has no way to return back to our dimension, but Ania keeps saying that someone will eventually come and save us. In the meantime, we've been busy getting to know Sonoko and Ran. Ania tags along with most of their outings, but I don't usually get to go along because quoting Sonoko "It's a girl's night-out."

Whatever. I can pass the time instead by practising my special skill. I sigh and open up my duffel bag to find...NOTHING! I groan and wander down onto the basement. The chibi scientist is examining my bow and the rest of my equipment. "If you're wondering, it's an Oneida Kestrel. And yes, that jumper is bulky because there is a layer of Kevlar sewed to the inside." Haibara raised an eyebrow and placed the jumper back onto the table.

"So what's with all this equipment then? Are you planning to become some sort of costumed vigilante?" I folded the jumper and carefully placed it back into the bag. "You'll find out when the time comes. Do you ever get out?" Haibara shook her head and turned back to her computer. I sighed due to the lack of response. _No archery for today I guess. _"How's progress? Anything?" She shook her head.

"In your so-called 20 years of our Sherlock's life story, all I've been able to do is create the 24 hour antidote, but that's pretty much it." The scientist then raised an eyebrow and pushed away from the desk. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you guys." I blinked. _What? You want to go on a date with a certain SOMEONE? _"I have a feeling that Edogawa-kun is keeping something from me. Specifically about the person next door." I shrugged and stretched out in the swivel chair. " If this is about Subaru Okiya, ask away. You might be interested in some of the answers though. In a bad way." Haibara raised her eyebrows but said nothing. Inside, I was bracing myself for the depressing outcome. " Who is he actually? He's definitely suspicious, but Edogawa-kun seems to trust him just because he is a Holmes fan. We've seen plenty of people of that kind though..."

I sighed. "You might want to grab a chair and a cup of coffee. It's a long explanation." Two minutes later, a warm cup of coffee and a cup of milk was sitting on the desk. What? You have a problem with me because I don't like caffeine?

"Our story begins when 2 years ago, your sister met a man named Moroboshi Dai." Haibara's eyes widened. "And by the way, I'm really sorry. We only found out she was your sister 2 years after the series began. She really loved you." Tears were starting to well up in her eyes. "Your sister took an interest in him, and he became her boyfriend. She later learned he was actually the FBI agent Suichi Akai. A few years later she decided to try to leave the organisation, along with you. She texted Akai, asking him to help set up a life for you once you had defected. But then..." I sighed. "You know what happened." The little scientist was in tears, so I pulled her in close for a hug. Her little arms gripped my sides in despair. "A couple of months back during the Rena Mizuanashi case, Akai was lured to Raiha Pass, and shot. His car was blown up, and a burned body was found inside. However, Akai actually faked his death, I can't remember the details why, so go grill Conan-kun later. He has taken the name of Subaru Okiya." I looked at her. "And that's it so far." _Hey, that wasn't that bad, at least she didn't...oh shit._

"So in other words, I'm living next to my sister's boyfriend. The one that led her to her death." She choked out between tears. She stood up. "I'm going over." She walked towards the door.

"You know I'm not going to try to stop you." She paused at the stairs. "There are three things to know here before you try anything though. 1,"

I raised my finger up. "You wanted the truth, and it sometimes hurts. 2. Akai feels responsible too, and he swore to avenge your sister. And also to protect you. It might be why Conan-kun let him live next door in the first place. 3. If you go over there and do something stupid, you could cause everything to come down on our heads." I walked over to the stairs, where she was staring at the floor. "Akemi didn't just die for nothing, did she? Fight not to die Haibara, fight to live." She turned around to face me, trying to hold back tears. "Thanks." I patted her on the back.

"Hey, if you want to cry, its okay. We all cry sometimes, its what happens afterwards that really matters. Also, if it makes you feel any better, I like you better than Conan on this show." She smiled.

"Well I can't disappoint my fan now can I?" We both got a laugh out of that. Then the doorbell rang. We both went upstairs. "Who could it be? Sam, could you answer the door?" I nodded. I loaded my grapnel and slowly opened the door. And gasped.

Standing in the rain, was something we both never wanted to see. "It's- it's a little girl." Haibara's face turned white with terror. The girl was wearing a clothes that were just way too big for her. She peaked out weakly from her grey hoodie. "Please help me..." She then collapsed from exhaustion. "Darn." I picked up the rain soaked figure and carried her inside. "They're still using that drug. Who knows how many others have been affected?"

Placing her on the couch, I glanced across at Haibara. The scientist didn't know it ,but she was trembling. From fear.

**Just a thought, but someone should really do a crossover between Detective Conan and 'Flash'; seeing as how Barry Allen and Shiho Miyano have similiar backgrounds.**


	9. Chapter 9:Shit gets real

Chapter 9: Shit gets real.

"My name is Koshimizu Natsuki. 18 years old. Or was anyway." Ania and I sat transfixed to the laptop's screen. We were watching the video of Haibara _interrogating_ our visitor in the basement. The little girl, who was wearing Haibara's clothes, shuffled nervously in the seat. "I was walking down an alleyway near Beika Shopping Centre when I witnessed a drug deal going on." I spun my pen.

"Koshimizu Natsuki was one of the detectives in that deduction match. The one that occurred on that island." Said Ania.

"Yeah I remember. Hattori and Conan solved that one."

"How many people were involved?" Haibara asked tentatively.

"3 people. Two of them were wearing black. The other one I couldn't really make out in the darkness, but he was wearing a gold chain. One of the people in black was bigger than the other and was wearing sunglasses. The other one had long silvery hair." On the screen, I saw Haibara's fist tighten. I grimaced. "Gin and Vodka are involved. Are we going to interfere?" I nodded.

"While it breaks the rule,we can't let... whatever is about to happen happen." Professor Agasa walked over to us, holding a cup of coffee. "Ania-san, would you like some coffee?" She took the cup carefully from the professor's hands. "Arigato gozaimashita professor." She smiled. I turned my attention back to the screen.

"Are there any other things that you noticed?" Natsuki's face contorted into a frown as she thought.

"The guy in the gold chain was probably a gang lord. He mentioned something about a deal happening at warehouse O-12 at Beika docks. As I tried to get out of the alleyway, I tripped and the men in black caught me. They gave me a drug, I thought I was going to die. But instead-"

" You shrunk and went looking for Shinichi Kudo. When nobody answered the door, you came next door over here." Haibara stood up. "That will be all for now." Natsuki squirmed one more time. "Is it really necessary to keep me tied up? I'm not dangerous." Haibara turned around to look at her from the stairs. "Until we validate your story, we can't completely trust you. Please remain here." I switched off the monitor as she came upstairs. "Well?"

"Her story seems to be plausible. But Natsuki-san has a slightly dark past. We have to wait until Conan-kun gets here before we do anything." The professor stood up. "That reminds me, Shinichi said he would be bringing Hattori-kun with him." We both turned to face him.

"Heiji and Kazuha are in Tokyo? Ran didn't tell me anything about that." Ania sipped her coffee.

"People won't always tell you everything. She probably didn't think it was necessary." The doorbell rang and the professor went off to answer it. Ania grinned mischievously. "Want to troll him?" I smiled. "Always."

A dark skinned boy entered the room along with Conan. He blinked. "Who are you two? I haven't seen you around before."

"My name is Ania, and this is Sam. Greetings Heiji Hattori, 18 year old son of Heizo Hattori. We have been expecting you detective. Oh, and you should probably ask Kazuha out someday. She's been waiting for a while. And stop addressing Conan by his last name. It's kind of dangerous. " Hattori's eyes bugged out, but he quickly went back to his poker face. "Looks like you were right Kudo, they really aren't from here." I shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you Hattori-kun. So here's the problem..."

OOO

"Why is Natsuki out of prison?"

"The judge decided that because she was a minor and she was doing it to avenge her friend, she got 6 months in prison as well as community service." Conan looked up. " It's been ages since we had a decent lead, so I guess we can trust her." Haibara glared at Conan.

"She just showed up out of nowhere, and yet we're trusting her?" I fiddled with my cap.

"So did you. And what's better, saving people from whatever they're planning, or letting them die because we don't trust her?" Haibara sighed.

"If this goes wrong, I'm not saving your skin." Ania smiled and got up.

"I'm going to go downstairs and untie Natsuki-san. You better leave some coffee for me." She walked away

"So what's the plan?"

"We need to be there when the deal goes down, so we can get the evidence and slap the cuffs on them." Hattori ticked off his finger. "So let's get Officer Takagi onto this-"

"We can't." Conan and Haibara said simultaneously. We looked at them. "If we give an anonymous tipoff, how are we going to explain where we got this information. By the time they decide to act, it could be too late."

"There's also a nationwide police meeting tonight, so everyone will be busy." Conan added. "We're going to need someone other than the police in other to capture them." I unzipped my bag and pulled out my bow. "Or something else."

Hattori blinked. "Sam-kun, do you seriously plan on going into that warehouse, shooting everyone with sticks, and arresting them all by YOURSELF?! They have could have guns for goodness sake! And do you even know how to use that thing?"

I opened the window and held up my hand. "Firstly, very sharp, very fast pointy sticks. Secondly, do you see that Apple tree in Kudo-kun's backyard?" I nocked an arrow and fired. It hit the Target and caused it to fall off the branch. I turned back to room. "I'm also going to need some nails."

**The Arrow is coming.**


	10. Chapter 10: The Arrow

Chapter 10: I'm pretty sure I'm ripping off a vigilante.

A semi-hauler truck rolled into the warehouse. It was late at night, and I doubt anyone would have noticed the shady activity that was about to go down. The police had been tipped off about the illegal weapons and drug deal that was going to go down at warehouse O-12, but didn't have the evidence or resources to follow it up. Fortunately for them, I was something else. Something long. Green. And arrowy.

"I'm in position." I put my communicator to my ear. "Ania, Heiji, Haibara are you guys good?"

The scientist pulled up her chair to the table. "Haibara standing by."

Heiji pulled his visor down. "I'm good to go,vigilante."

Ania pulled up her gray hoodie. "Ready. I hope this plan works."

I grinned and surveyed the warehouse. I had bugged the entire area so the police would have enough evidence to arrest the group. Below, members of the smuggling ring milled about, dressed in Kevlar and parka's. The truck came to a stop with a loud hiss, as the driver, his navigator and a heavily built man stepped out.

"Ania, I think I have a visual on the ringleader. That is a ridiculous purple coat. Who does he think he is? The Joker?" The fat man strode over to the other men. I put my hand to my ear and tuned in to the bug. " Do you have the shipment?" Another man nodded. " 200 billion yen of drugs and illegal RPG's as ordered. It's all loaded up ready for you Mr Hokau." The fat man nodded and inspected the long cylindrical tube. I grimaced. I recognised the weapon from the CHERUB book series. It was a PGSLM (personal self guided missile), a portable rocket that could hit a target the size of a tissue paper from over 10 kilometres away. I watched as the man shook hands with Purple Coat Dude, and walked back to his own men grinning. "Sam, it's time. Good luck." I stood up from the shadows. "Copy that."

"MR HOKAU! YOU HAVE FAILED THIS CITY!" I boomed. I launched myself off the platform and I shot two goons on the way down. Before they even hit the ground, I had shot another goon with the Oneida Kestrel. The second ringleaders eyes bugged. His hand moved towards his waist, but the projectile impacted his shoulder and sent him falling as well. The sound of gunfire filled the air. I ducked behind a forklift as two goons fired their submachine guns. I jumped up from behind my cover and fired a restraining arrow. The cable sprung out and wrapped around the pair, knocking their heads together. They crumpled unconscious to the floor. "Remember, try to not kill them please. We-" Heiji began, but a movement caught the corner of my eye. A bigger goon ran up to me carrying... A baseball bat?! Seriously! I dodged his first swing, and jabbed my bow sideways so it went into his gut. " I know alright! I'm kind of busy!" I shouted back. My knee connected to his groin, and he crumpled. Just to be safe, I fired an arrow into his hand. As the goons screams gave way to sobs of pain, I heard the sound of a Class AC/DL engine starting up. I jumped aside as the truck crashed out of the warehouse, PCD at the wheel.

"Sam! What the shit is going on! I heard shouts!" I ran through the open door of the warehouse. "Ringleaders getting away in the truck. Get ready, he's coming your way!" I ran off towards the overpass. In order to get out of the maze, the truck would have to pass through that point. And we had set a trap.

Ania aimed her grapnel at the approaching vehicle. It was just a precaution, in case the truck tried to run her over, she would be able to swing onto the overpass. Ania jumped to the side as the truck rolled over the minefield of nails. She watched it disappear around the corner. "Truck's tires have been punctured, that things going to slow down and stop in the parking lot. Over to you Sam." She turned as she heard the sound of another motorcycle behind her. Heiji tossed her a helmet. "Need a ride?"

"All other routes of escape have been blocked off. Are you on the intersection?" I stood on the bridge watching as the truck came closer and closer. "Roger that Haibara. Tell Heiji to drop off Ania and clear off. Things are about to get crazy." I jumped off the bridge and onto the metal trailer. The truck shook like due to the mad driving so I crouched down and waited for Ania's signal. "I'm at the parking lot. Go when ready!" I stood up and ran towards the cab of the truck. As I jumped the gap, I flipped shot an explosive arrow into the coupling. I gripped the roof of the truck and gritted my teeth. _Thumbs up for enhanced abilities! And trick arrows! Detachment in 3.2.1..._

_BOOM!_

The truck's trailer slowly rolled away from the cab, it's front part still smoking from the blast. the truck shook violently, and I had to grip the bar tightly to avoid falling off. "Illegal goods are secure, I've got eyes on them. This stuff's probably worth a ton of money!" I commando-rolled onto the right side of the cab. "Heiji, don't even think about taking one of those rocket launchers for a test run. Leave that to the professionals." I swung over the edge and used my body momentum to smash the window. Glass sprayed all over the inside of the cab. PCD looked frightened as I grabbed the steering wheel and turned the truck towards the parking lot. He swung a fist but I dodged out of the way. _Ania,hurry up! I'm not sure if I can hang on any longer!_ I thought dodging random punches.

The cab finally rolled to a stop, both its tyres were empty. Unluckily, PCD fist finally managed to score a hit on my cheek and I tumbled to the gravel ground. I watched helplessly as he sprinted out of the cab and ran back towards the shipyard. "SAM!" Ania fired her grapnel at PCD. The cable wound around the mob boss, tying his legs up. He fell struggling to the Tarmac, trying to escape. Ania walked over to PCD and rummaged around his pockets. I radioed back to base."Heiji, Haibara; mission accomplished. We're-" The sound of police sirens broke me out of the report. We both turned and saw two police cars and a familiar red RX-7. A police officer quickly ran over to PCD and cuffed him. We stared at Sato and Takagi. Both of them couldn't seem to comprehend the fact that two hooded vigilantes managed to take down a gang of smugglers. Finally, I spoke up in a deep voice." There a bunch more unconscious in warehouse O-12. Not that they'll be going anywhere. Better send some men to pick them up." We both turned to walk away. "B-but who are you guys?" Takagi stuttered. I turned around and gave him a wry smile.

"You can call me,' The Arrow.'"

I tipped my hood and we walked away into the darkness of the night.


	11. Chapter 11:The List

Chapter 11: The List

"In the late hours of last night, the notorious Takari Abu, leader of the biggest weapons smuggling ring in Japan, was apprehended by a mysterious green-hooded vigilante calling himself the Arrow." Hattori snorted as he watched the TV in Professor Agasa's living room. We had come back late, Ania and Heiji got to cruise home on the rental bike. But since I couldn't just take public transport, keeping secret identities blah blah blah, I had to truck-surf on the roof of a delivery truck back to the house. Fun, but scary as hell.

"Oh come on. They didn't even mention us." I bit into another Apple.

"You guys were there with me in the field, all of the way. Anyway, we got the job done, so good job everyone!" Natsuki-san pointed back at the TV. For now, her name was Kaori Minoru, and she was a distant cousin of Haibara who had come to stay with her for a while. Just like her, she would be joining Teitan High until we found a cure.

"So just who is this mysterious vigilante? Even though we have a cctv image, it is impossible to see his face. To whoever he is, the police would like to speak with him. Back to you Basa-kun." The grainy gray and white image flashed on screen, before the screen cut to another news article about cats. Ania switched off the TV and turned to the us. "Great work again last night. We managed to capture the entire gang with minimal casualties, so that's a start. Also..." She pulled a piece of paper out of her jumper. "I found a list of names and contact details inside the boss's pocket. It's probably a list of contacts to 'them'. And you know what that means." Kaori stood up excitedly.

"We pass the list to the police-" "FBI." "You know what I mean. Then they can arrest them!" I cleared my throat.

"Catch 22. How in the world are we going to explain we got that piece of paper from his pocket?" Hattori nodded.

"We'll give the list Starling-san, I reckon we can trust her." I grinned and took a photo of 'The List' with my D-com.

"I'll give the list to her later. And Conan-kun, don't you and Hattori have somewhere to be?" Conan's eyes widened.

"Crap, we've got to go. Kazuha and Ran wanted us to investigate a mansion with them." The pair ran over to the door. "See you later."

"Make sure no corpses turn up!" I shouted back as the door shut. Kaori looked quizzically at me. "Those two are death magnets. Hopefully not, but you'll understand in a couple of weeks."

"So are you going to go after them?" Dr Agasa asked. "It's certainly a good lead."

"I'd do it, but only if M here gives the go ahead." I said pointing at Haibara. Said scientist crossed her arms.

"Looking at the list, I reckon that it's a bit risky. They could kill you. They could kill all of us." Ania placed her hand on her back.

"I think you've been hiding in the shadows for a bit too long. It's a risk you're going to have to take eventually, but if we choose our targets carefully, we can beat them. They may be organised, but they're still human." Haibara sighed. "Whatever we do, we better be careful. This isn't going to be easy." Ania's face contorted into a grimace. "Yeah. We know."

"Dr Agasa, I know it's a bit much, but can you please make something for me?"

Much, much later...

Jodie Starling opened the balcony, and stared in horror. Andre Camel had told her about the green-hooded vigilante earlier, but she didn't think that he would show up here. "How-how did you get up here?! We're 30 floors up!" She grabbed the glock off the table and pointed it at me. "What do you want?!"

"My goals are much similar to yours Agent Starling." I said through the voice modulator in my Ski Mask. Dr Agasa had helped me to put it inside the teeth patterned cloth in order to help disguise my identity more efficiently. "Which is why I am giving you this." I passed over the list. "Please give this to your boss, its a list of names of associates connected to the Organisation." She took it and read it carefully. "Don't pass it over to the police. This is a matter only the FBI can handle. And I wish to warn you that I will be hunting down the people on the list. Good evening." I jumped over the balcony railing and fired my grappling arrow at the skyscraper. I dropped safely to the ground and sprinted off into the night. _The hunt has begun._


	12. Chapter 12: Roadtrip

Sorry everyone. I've been busy hunting down corrupt politicians and doing my homework, so it's going to be slow. Remember to review!

Chapter 12: Roadtrip

The businessman, Mabu Kasuji, flicked the switch for his living room lights. The room remained steeped in darkness. Cautiously, he tried again, but the lights still refused to turn on. He didn't know it, but they had been shattered to signalled to his two bodyguards, both walking mountains of muscle, to check out the room. The pair began to meticulously sweep the room, their pistols drawn. I watched from the balcony above, as they rounded the expensive mahogany coffee table, then I stepped off into space. Swinging down onto the next floor, I smashed through the massive glass window feet-first. An arrow knocked the gun out of the hand of one of the guards and a punch to his face quickly knocked him out. Out of habit, I switched hands with my bow and slammed the tip into the foot of his other bodyguard, before swinging it into his gut. With both threats neutralized, I nocked a restraining arrow and fired at the frightened Mr Kasuji. Upon impact, twin cables wrapped around his arms, wrapping him up. I walked over to him and opened his mouth. No cyanide pill this time. Mr Kasuji was more of the money man for the organisation, so he would have been handling all the funds and transfers. I plugged a USB into his computer and it began sucking data out of the CPU. "Arrow, get the files and evac. The police's ETA is in 3 minutes." Kaori shouted over the radio. I wrapped another roll of duct tape around Mr Kasuji's body. "All done, I'm clearing out." I pulled the USB out of the hard drive, and the computer's screen dissolved into a shower of pixels, erasing any sign of my hacking. I pointed at the still struggling Mr Kasuji. "Stay down." Then the room was bathed in light. Two junior police officers pointed their pistols at me. "DON'T MOVE! PUT YOUR BOW ON THE GROUND!" I shot a smokescreen arrow at the doorframe and jumped out of the window. Two shots echoed around the room, but when the smoke cleared, I was nowhere to be seen.

OOO

"Honestly, I don't even want to know how you got all these trick arrows." Haibara's fingers flew over the keyboard. On the screen, she was analyzing the data from the USB. The computer itself had been 'liberated' from another associate of the Black Organization, just to be sure that it wouldn't be corrupted by the Night-Baron virus again. "I have very good friends. And anyway, where did you learn how to re-route the computers wifi signal?"

Ania came down the stairs, holding a cup of coffee. "My schoolteacher was an ex-black hat. I was being cyberbullied, so he showed me how to spam the bully's email without being traced." Haibara spun quickly around on her chair.

"We have very good friends." We both said in unison. The little girl facepalmed and went back to typing. "Speaking of which, Ran wants to see both of us tomorrow at the Detective Agency. The three of us, that is." I nodded. Then I realized that Haibara was snoring.

"Hey, is it just me, or is Haibara sleep-hacking?" We watched as the semi-conscious scientist continued to type, snoring softly.

"Okay, this is freaking me out." I snapped a picture with my D-com, then tried to wake her up.

"But sis, I want to ride the Lollipop Ferris Wheel." She mumbled sleepily.

What?

OOO

The next day...

We walked inside the office. Ran was there with Conan-kun. "Ai-chan, are you okay? You don't look like you're feeling well." Haibara's hair was sticking up all over the place, and the little girl was practically shuffling along the ground. "Ungh mine, treckel blak." she mumbled sleepily. Ran looked at her worriedly. Upon reaching the couch, she flopped onto it and promptly fell asleep. "She said she's fine. Looks like all those sleepless nights of...er... playing computer games finally caught up with her." Then she started snoring. Conan shot me a look. Are you serious?! Is she actually-!?

"Before you ask, yes I have pictures. So why have you called us here Ran-san?" She smiled and handed us three train tickets.

"Sonoko and I are going to Osaka for the next KID heist. His target this time is a Jewel owned by Sonoko's grandfather, Suzuki Jirokuchi. It's a diamond called the 'Blackest Night'. Sonoko thought it would be a good idea to invite you three along as she had extra tickets. I've heard that you've never been to Osaka Sam." I shrugged.

"Never have been. I've always wanted to see some of the architecture up there anyway." She smiled.

"Hattori-kun called and said he would be happy to let us stay over at his house for the duration of the heist. So what do you say?"

I grinned. Getting to explore Osaka, with the company of some of the coolest anime characters in the world? Either I was in the anime or this was an awesome trip! Oh wait. Yeah.

"Thanks so much Ran-san! When do we leave?" Asked Ania.

OOO

"Lucky you're going down there. You're next target is in Osaka anyway." Kaori showed me the computer screen. "Mika Noburi. 41. He's small ranking sub-leader who leads the extortion branch of the Organization." I stared at the bearded man on the screen. He looked more like an architect rather than a gear in an engine of doom. "He lives in a large manor on the North-West side of Osaka. As a matter of fact, the next KID heist you're going too is being held at his house."

"Lucky, we can kill two birds with one stone." Ania murmured. Then her D-com buzzed. She opened it up."It's from Sonoko, telling us to turn on the TV." I ran upstairs and pressed the remote. Suzuki Jirokuchi was being interviewed by a horde of reporters.

"Mr Suzuki, how do you plan to stop KID this time?" One of them asked. The elderly man just smirked.

"I plan to have a certain archer protect the Jewel. This message is to the 'Arrow', wherever he is. Come and help us protect the Jewel! It will be the ultimate showdown between the thief in white and the Emerald Archer! The side of justice will prevail!-" I smashed the button and the screen faded to black. "I'M NOT YOUR DANG PUPPET!" I plopped down on the couch in a huff. The Arrow isn't a flashy, heroic mercenary; he's a stealthy, dark commando. And because he had announced about my existence, 'they' would be on a higher alert, making our job even harder. If I went in there and beat the crap out of Kaito Kid, I could seriously affect the timeline. "I know you're frustrated, but are you still going to go?" I nodded at Ania.

"Hell yeah I am. I know it's my fault for getting our cover blown to hell, but I'm going to give Jirokuchi-sensei a party he'll never forget!"


	13. Chapter 13: Osaka

Chapter 13: Osaka

Haibara stretched out her arms and yawned. She blinked across at Ania, who was sitting opposite her seat, reading."Good sleep?" Haibara rubbed her hand through her hair. "Yeah. I was up again doing research last night." She looked around the cabin. Kogoro was sound asleep, Conan was nowhere to be seen; probably calling Hattori about the journey so far. But what struck her most was Ran and Sam happily chatting away in the seats opposite. He looked so happy, despite the fact he was a dark cold vigilante in his spare time. "Um, hello? Earth to Haibara?" She turned and saw Ania holding a small chess board in her hand. "Want to play?" She shrugged. "I've got nothing else to do anyway."

(Sam's POV)

I took another bite from my sandwich. "Something's bothering you isn't it?" Ran snapped out of her daze. She looked around the cabin nervously, as if he was watching. "Conan-kun told me about Shinichi. If you don't want to talk, it's fine." She sighed.

"I'm worried if he's ever going to come back." She admitted. "It's been over a year, and he keeps saying that he'll be back. I mean I've seen him a couple of times, but..." She sighed. "Do you think he could be avoiding me? He could have met someone...else." I stared out the window at the passing scenery. A contrast of nature and machine, both co-existing in harmony. "Look. He's a detective. Shinichi has seen things that are probably... too weird and horrible to think about. He's seen stuff on his case that can turn a man to darkness." My sandwich was gone now. "So that's why he's probably avoiding you. He wants to keep you safe. He wants to keep you in the light." She shook her head.

"Keeping secrets from me does not keep me safe. I want to know. He kept telling me that one truth prevails, but how can he keep lying to my heart?"

"He'll always be near to you. Being in a relationship with someone can take a toll, but you just have to keep going. Keep forging ahead, and trust that you will find a way." I smiled as i watched Haibara and Ania play chess. They seemed to be getting along well. "If you want him to come back, keep doing what you do. Never stop believing in him, Ran. Because sometimes, when the mystery and trust is gone." I chucked the packaging over the seat into the bin. Nailed it! "You can lose hope in the future. As long as you keep believing in someone, there's a possibility they will always keep waiting for you over the horizon." She smiled. "What?"

"You're poetic Sam." I grinned.

" I get around a lot. Also word on the street is that Shinichi will be coming home soon." She gasped.

"Really?!"

"Calm down. I promise you, he is."

Elsewhere in the train, Conan Edogawa sneezed. Someone must be talking about me.

OOO

"Sam-kun, Ania-san, would you mind coming shopping for dinner with me?" I looked up from my D-com. Still no progress.

"Sure thing Kazuha-san, I can always see if Snape kills Dumbledore later anyway. What do we need to get?" As we walked from Hattori's house towards the grocery store, I thought about the recent events. I had become a masked vigilante, we were close to unravelling one of the longest running mysteries of all time, and we were trapped in an anime. 'It might be destiny, or fate. Whatever it is, we can probably take the next step.'

Kazuha blinked. "Are you saying I should asked Heiji-kun out?" The three of us looked at each other.

"Er-I was thinking about something else. But I think he does kind of like you, even if he is kind of stupid to admit it. Oh look, we're here." I sprinted through the glass doors before things could get more awkward. "Gotta go to the toilet! I'll get the milk!"

OOO

"Sam doesn't talk much about his past does he?" Kazuha picked up the bag of fish.

"Not really. He's quiet and prefers to work alone when he can." Ania grabbed the other bags and followed her friend into the condiment section.

"Why is that?" Ania sighed.

"He used to be one of the kindest people you could ever meet. The kind of person who was willing to talk about your days problems. So life was sweet for the first two years of school together. Then when he got to grade 9, people started bullying him. They kept putting him down for his love of helping people. At first it was only verbal, but then they started to get physical; stealing his stuff, that sort of thing. It got so bad he moved to another school."

Kazuha gasped. "That's horrible. Why would they do that?"

Ania shrugged and grabbed another jar of pickles. "Who knows what a person is thinking? That's why he's got a problem trusting people who he's just met."

"Give me the bag will you? Thanks. But I've just met him." Ania shrugged and picked up the bag of food.

"He probably knows more than he is letting on. Hang on just a second." She pulled her D-com out of her pocket and pressed 'answer'. "Hello?"

"Ania. Where are you?" Sam sounded panicked. Ania thought that was strange. Sam was rattled by hardly anything.

"I'm still with Kazuha on the second floor. Did you get the milk?"

"Yeah I got the milk. But you two have to get out of there right now!"

"Why? Where's the fire?"

"Rodriguez Schmidt. He's on the same floor as you. And he's headed your way." Ania fought back the urge to gasp. Thoughts of a crazed scientist went through her head. You'll kill her! That's kind of the idea. And you will never tell anyone about this, ever! "Kazuha, we need to get out of here right now!" The other girl blinked, then her face hardened into that of determination. "Is someone stalking you or something?" Wow. Perfect explanation.

"Sort of. He's stalking me and Sam. I'll explain later, come on!" Her phone rang again.

"Ania, listen up. I've got a plan to escape, so listen to exactly what I say. I'm on the third floor, I'm going to follow you guys and I'll meet up with you along the way. Go down the escalator to the ground floor. Walk, and do not run. We don't want to draw his attention." The girls stepped on the descending escalator. On the way down, Ania spotted a familiar looking crooked face with black hair going up the ascending escalator. Don't make eye contact. She bent over to Kazuha and cupped her hand around her ear. "That man, the one with the black trench coat. He's the one hunting Sam and I." She whispered. "Once he's gone past, giggle." Kazuha made a questionable face, but as soon as he couldn't directly see them anymore, she let out a really girlish giggle. That seemed to satisfy the man, and he continued out of sight. Ania breathed a sigh of relief. "I think we're safe."

"No you aren't! Schmidt just did a double take, he's behind you! Head for the emergency exit on the left. I'm going to cause a distraction." The girls turned and walked down the messy corridor. Ania had just taken five steps when she heard a loud BANG. Don't turn around. Keep moving. Behind her, she could hear people running around in a panic. "Please tell me that was not a gunshot." Kazuha muttered. She stopped and looked up. Ania followed her gaze, and saw that one of the ventilation grates was moving. One screw. Two screws. Three. Four. The metal grate clanked to the floor, and Sam followed.

(Sam POV)

"Don't mind if I drop in?" I grinned. The girls groaned.

"Seriously? That was horrible." Kazuha rolled her eyes. "What was that bang?"

"Cherry bomb. Do you want one too? I have a spare in my bag." I dusted myself off. "Cmon. Let's get going." We ran down the corridor.

"What kind of person keeps explosives in their bags?" I shrugged.

"I do, apparently. And to answer the next question; yes, I've got the milk."


	14. Chapter 14: Clash Of Green And White

Chapter 14: Clash of green and white

"So you ran into the psychopath who tried to kill you, and now he might possibly know that you're alive." Haibara groaned. "Well this just keeps getting better and better." It was late at night, and everyone in Heiji's house was asleep. Nobody was stirring; only me, Ania, Heiji, Conan and Haibara were still awake, having a team meeting. I ate another potato chip. "We'll have to find him. Something tells me that he isn't just here to kill us. Why would he be wandering around the mall? He didn't know we were there, and he certainly wasn't doing his weekly shopping." Conan grabbed the bag from my hands. "We're going to have to worry about that later. Right now, you should be getting ready for the big show tomorrow." I started packing away the snacks. "Right, gotcha. Is something on your mind Hattori?" The detective got up.

"Promise me one thing. Keep Kazuha safe. I don't want her getting killed." He opened the sliding door and walked out.

"He definetly has feelings for her, doesn't he?" Haibara stood up and stretched. "Don't worry. We will do everything we can to protect her tomorrow."

OOO

Outside the Noburi manor, the press was in a state of excitement. From above their view, I watched as cameramen hurriedly pressed buttons. Reporters read clipboards and drank coffee, trying to prepare themselves to get an exclusive scoop. They'll get one. I watched as Suzuki Jirokuchi walked onstage ready to answer questions about the heist. He seemed happy, as if challenging the phantom thief wasn't just a hobby, but an obsession. Mika Noburi, in contrast, was not. He seemed anxious, mopping his brow and looking around nervously, as if I could pop out at any moment. Suzuki Jirokuchi strode up and grabbed the microphone on the podium. I pulled up my hood as my radio crackled. "This is ground crew, begin operation. Have fun out there." I grinned and nocked an arrow. "Roger that, let's get this party started."

The arrow whistled through the air, before landing on the stage and releasing a cloud of smoke. Suzuki Jirokuchi stepped back in shock, while some reporters panicked from the sudden attack. "Citizens of Osaka." They all turned and looked up, spotting me standing on the roof. "This world is full of people who think they own the world. They will do everything they can, even kill, to achieve that ideal. However, there will also be those ready to fight those people. Those people are heroes, because they are willing to put everything on the line to protect this city. And tonight, I'm announcing my intention to stand with them. I am the Arrow." I rolled off the roof and swung my body onto a lower balcony. Cameras are rolling, it's pretty good theatre.

"Arrow, we've picked up chatter that Kaito Kid maybe on your floor." I open the glass door and walk inside. "The 'Blackest Night' is located in a safe two rooms to your left." Suddenly, something whistles past my face. Two playing cards impale themselves in the wall as I duck behind an overturned table. I can hear a set of footsteps approaching. I jump up, nocking a restraining arrow. "Identify yourselves!" A young police officer holds his hands up.

"Kazuto Kegami, Osaka MPD!" I keep my arrow trained.

"Do you have your badge?"

He passes me the leather pouch. His ID is perfect, it looks real enough to me. I pinch his face, then push him away and dive back down behind the table as another cards embeds itself in the wall. "Nice ID, almost fooled me. Only problem is, regular policemen don't keep card guns hidden under their clothes." I put the restraining arrow back into my quiver. "Have a little present. I would insert a pun here, but I'm fresh out of ideas." Silence. "Fresh? As in seafood?" I shake my head. "Never mind." We both jump up at the same time. I fire my arrow, he fires his card gun.

The arrow cleaves through the air, cutting through a six of spades. It continues its flight, before impaling itself in the wall several inches away from Kaito Kid's face. He grins. "You missed."

"Nope."

BLATT! Suddenly, the arrow explodes, covering the wall and the phantom thief in a mysterious pink substance. "Asian groceries are the best place to get expired food. That, was a three day old tuna arrow." The phantom thief dropped his poker face and started running around the room screaming, trying to get the pink substance off like it was corrosive. "Sam, remind me why we keep humiliating Kaito Kid?" I chuckled.

"Actually, I don't know. But its good comedy/ TV ratings! Hey..." I looked around. Aside from me and the upturned furniture, the room was empty. "He did a bunk!"

"The jewel is on the move, it's in the room with you!" I started running around upturning furniture. But the sapphire was nowhere to be seen. "Arrow, Kaito Kid is up on the roof, get up there NOW!" I shielded my body and jumped out the window. Firing another grappling arrow, I quickly zipped up to the roof. The phantom thief must have spotted me too, as something moved towards the edge of the roof. "Stop. Right. There." I nocked a arrow. "We don't want to harm you. We just want to let you know, we're on your side." He nodded. "I know. You could have killed me, but you chose to hold back. Until we meet again." He doffed his hat and soared away into the night. "But I'm still going to have to do this." The magnesium flare arrow streaked straight up into the night sky, exploding into a blinding flash of light. I looked around. The thief was nowhere to be seen. "He's gone. And he took the jewel."

"He didn't. It's on the roof next to the chimney. Hold on... Arrow,is it on your back?" I groped around and felt something hard. I pulled off the sapphire, the jewel glowing a brilliant azure in the moonlight. There was a note attached.

Have this pretty lady back. I hope to battle you again someday, as you are a worthy opponent. Kaito Kid.

"Son of a... Forget it. I'm moving in to get the objective." I looked at the chimney. "Doesn't the chimney go straight down to the office?"

"Yeah it does. Doing a Santa Claus?" I climbed onto the eave. It was a completely clear run down.

"For a paranoid business man, he sure didn't think about elves from the North Pole as a possible threat. I'm going in." I jumped down the chute and exploded into the room with a cloud of black dust. Clearing away the dust, I looked around. The office was as anyone would expect it to be; tables, computers and coffee machine. I strode over to the desk. Underneath a stack of business reports was a M1911 pistol. I removed the clip and plugged a USB into the computer. The USB blinked green as it started downloading files, and transmitting them back to Ania outside. Five minutes later, the download was complete. The screen dissolved into a shower of static as the self destructing virus erased any trace of hacking. The door opened. I nocked an arrow as Rodriguez Schmidt strode into the room. His black coat amplified his dark presence, like the presence of death. He was wielding a pistol, and he didn't see afraid to use it again. A dark chill settled over the room. "Arrow? What's going on, there's a group of cops coming your way! Get out now!" The scientist grinned.

"So. The girl survived after all. No matter, you two will be no obstacle to my employers plans." I shivered. He knew who I was.

"Who are these employers?" His smile grew even wider.

"Does it matter? You will meet them soon enough. And when a person dies, the crows shall pick at his bones." The sound of footsteps grew louder. 4 uniformed police officers appeared in the doorway. "Hold it right there vigilante! We're taking you in." Rodriguez Schmidt calmly turned and fired. The gunshots filled the room. Four cops. Four heads. Four holes.

"NO!" Two shots ricocheted close to my head as I dove out the window. I hit the ground running, and took off towards the forest. I had to keep moving. I had to get away from that place. I had failed those officers. I had failed this city. I had failed my friends. He knew now. How many more lives would have to be taken before this crusade was over?

I reached the pickup point. Heiji was waiting with his motorcycle. He took a look at the bloodstains on my jumper and gasped. "What happened! Did you-" I jumped on the motorcycle and grabbed the helmet.

"Just drive. Explanation later."

I gave in to the darkness.


	15. Chapter 15: Restoration

Chapter 15: Restoration

The five of us crowded around the table. No one wanted to talk. Four people dead. And I had let them die.

Ania spoke up first. "We've taken down 13 sub-leaders already. They all had ways in which they could have killed millions more. Sam, it wasn't your fault." I buried my head even deeper.

"It is. If I hadn't been there, Rodriguez Schmidt wouldn't have found us. I started all this. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I thought I could do something. Save this city. But now because of me, there's going to be a lot of families wondering why I didn't do anything. " I skalled the cup of sake that I had. "It was my fault I let those people die. And worse, Schmidt has been working with the Organization. He knows-" I pointed a finger at Ania. "That you're alive, and he could be coming after all of us now. None of us are safe." The room went silent again. Conan and Haibara stood up. "Well, I think that I've had enough for one night, I'm going to bed. But let me just say this again, it wasn't your fault those people died." Heiji yawned. "Welp, looks like I'm going too. Don't blame yourself Sam." They shut the door, leaving me and Ania alone. There wasn't anything we could say to make the other feel better, so we just sat there. In silence.

OOO

The slid open again, and I heard a very audible gasp. "I know you're there Ran, but currently I'm too smashed to care." I was still wearing my arrow costume, and a very visible bow was propped up against the wall. Ania was passed out on the table, humming quietly twinkle, twinkle little star. I was trying very hard to try and empty the bottle as well as my mind. "Where is Kazuha?"

"She-she went straight to bed." Ran closed the door as she came into the room. "You're the Arrow. All this time-" She caught her breath. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have helped you!" I shrugged and went over the risks. Heiji's parents were probably asleep, so was Kogoro and Kazuha. I should probably leave out the whole shrinking people thing too.

"I'm very good at what I do Ran, but what I do isn't very good." I sat up and stretched. "We're dealing with an extremely dangerous organisation. They will kill whoever tries to expose them, so please keep this under wraps." Ran nodded. "Shinichi got messed up with them too, didn't he? That's why you've been hunting them?"

"SHHH! One, I'm not at liberty to tell you anything other than the fact this is extremely dangerous. And two, he wouldn't want me telling you." I drained the remaining dregs in the cup. "I think it would be best, that you don't mention any of this conversation to him. Because of that organisation, four people died tonight! I don't want you to be involved." Ania moved on the other side of the table. She sat up and groaned.

"Unngh... My head feels like I was hit by a freight train. " She blinked. "Sam, Ran is sitting next to you." I nodded.

"What part of 'secret' identity do you not understand! Does she know-"

"No."

She sighed. "Alright, she knows now. This complicates the plan. Ran-san, do you trust us?"

Ran got up and leaned over Ania. "I can, what about you? How many secrets are you guys keeping from me?! I'm supposed to be your friend." Ania leaned back on her chair. "A lot. But we need to protect you. Tonight, a man called Rodriguez Schmidt killed four police officers-"

"I killed them."

They both blinked. "Sam-no. Stop blaming yourself."

"If I hadn't been in that room, Schmidt wouldn't have been there. This is all my fault." I grabbed the bottle and forced the burning liquid down my throat. Ran shook her head.

"Sam, you are the Arrow. And no matter how you look at it, you didn't fire the gun. So why are you sitting around moping?" I sighed.

"I've been a failure my whole life Ran. And tonight I failed to protect those people." She shook her head.

"Ok, fine. But that doesn't mean that you're the cause for their death. Some...other circumstance could have caused them to run into Schmidt. So are going to stand up and fight, or are you going to shrink back and let Schmidt win? And I know you won't let him, because you're stronger than him." I stood up and took off my jumper. "I'm going to avenge those officers. Schmidt's thinks he's playing a game, but he forgot about the ace." Ran blinked. "What?" I opened the door and turned around.

"Us."


	16. Chapter 155: Omake

Chapter 15.5: Omake

"They're inside." The three of us stood outside the door, preparing to breach the premises. Haibara placed her hand on the doorknob.

"Remember, we have to take them fast, and quietly." She paused. "Go."

The door burst open, causing Dr Agasa to freeze mid-swallow, spoonful of ice-cream in hand. Kaori ran back into the room holding another tub of ice cream in her hands. "Quickly Dr Agasa! We can hide the evidence in the basement…" The shrunken girl caught sight of us and sighed. "We're doomed."

Haibara glared at the two. "Professor," She began menacingly. "Have you been keeping to your diet?"

"It was only one small tub!" He pleaded desperately. Behind him, the supply closet door tumbled open, revealing a dozen other empty tubs of ice cream. I shook my head.

"Wow, you are so incredibly screwed." Next to me, Haibara's head proceeded to spontaneously combust with anger.

"DR AGASA!"

**Attention all! This is the author!**

**I originally planned on finishing Season 1 before the end of 2015, but due to school work this hasn't happened. But the show must go on. In 2016, I'm going to be releasing Season 2 alongside the current arc. Please direct all comments (and hate mail) to the little box at the bottom right hand corner of your screen.**

**Thank you.**


	17. Chapter 16: The Robbery

**Chapter dump time! Review or I will find you. And make you watch the Arrow season finale.**

**Chapter 15: Robbery**

"Arrow, there's a robbery at Beika City Bank. You're two blocks away, and the police aren't going to get there in time. Assailants have taken hostages." I bit into my sandwich and sighed.

"That's the second one tonight. Alright, I'm on my way from the convenience store." I threw the wrapper into the bin and left the alleyway. Behind me, two robbers struggled to get free of the pole they were tied too. "How many hostages?" I fired a grappling line and zipped up to the roof. I started running parkour across the rooftops. It was relatively easy, being aware of the surroundings was one part of it. "17, but the police CB we've got says that one person who was inside the bank is missing." I slid to a stop and peered over the edge of the neighbouring building. The first police cars were pulling up to the front of the building. "Delta, see if you can hack the dashboard cams for those police cars."

"On it." Back at Dr Agasa's house, Ania's fingers flew over the keyboard. She sat back in her chair as the image came up. "Two gunmen covering the door, two guarding the hostages. I would guess that there's one more gunman supervising the loading of money, or looking for the missing hostage. All five are armed with military grade hardware, Kalashnikov assault rifles. The big guy in red by the door is probably the ringleader, as he is sporting a ten-inch army knife. Arrow," she pulled the microphone on her headset down. "Be careful. You haven't been focused in this past week."

I sighed. "Seriously, I'm going to be fine." The grappling arrow locked onto the edge of the opposite building. "My head is fine, there's nothing wrong with me since last week at all!" Checking the cable was secure, I stepped off into space.

Back in the basement, Ania shook her head. "No, you're not."

Glass sprayed across the corridor. "Going through the front door is for wimps. Badasses go through the windows these days." I muttered to myself. A sound broke the silence. Footsteps. Around the corner. I pulled out a tranquilising arrow and slowly proceeded forwards. Ahead, a unconscious robber lay on the floor, quietly moaning in pain. I peered around. There was no one to be seen, so who knocked this guy out, and where was he? Above me, a ventilation shaft shifted. As if someone was crawling through it…

"Oh cra-" A shadow dropped down and kicked me backwards. I stumbled backwards, reeling from the painful hit. I have to fight back against him. No, her. "Sera?" The female detective's eyes widened in shock. Seizing my opportunity, I swung my bow and tried to knock my opponent down. But she recovered quickly and blocked the hit. "I don't care if you know my name. But I'm taking you down!" She tackled me and judo-flipped me onto the floor. I struggled to get back up, but she had me pinned using her legs. "Now let's see whose behind the mask!"

"Sera, please!"

She pulled down my disguise and gasped. "Sam-kun…" She got off me. "You're him…" I groaned.

"I've got to get myself a mask that locks onto my jumper. Look," I pulled my mask back up and extended my hand. "We've got bigger problems. Team-up?" She shook my hand. "For now. So what's the plan?" I glanced at the still unconscious criminal.

"What did this guy's voice sound like?"

OOO

"Toshiri-kun, we have a problem, could you come to the back and take a look?" The leader sighed. "Again Yamanashi? Stop crapping around." He started moving towards the service corridor. "This is the third bank we've hit this week, and I want to get out of here before that vigilante comes around." He stopped in surprise. Said vigilante was standing over the unconscious body of Yamanashi. The hooded figure gave a wave." Sup."

The leader went for his gun, but something hit him over the back of the head and caused him to collapse.

OOO

Sera hefted the metal bar in her hands as I tied the pair up. "What if he had went for his knife?" I shook my head.

"He only saw me standing out of striking range. It's unlikely that he would have gone for his knife." I grabbed a trick arrow from my quiver. "I'll try to explain everything later, but you can't know what I'm doing yet. You need to keep this a secret from everyone, understand? "She nodded.

"I know what its like to keep a secret. At least you weren't using me as bait. I hate being a damsel in distress." I snorted.

"Pfft. As if. You would probably be able to take down the knight in shining armour anyway." The arrow whistled through the air, before discharging a massive cloud of smoke. The four remaining criminals looked nervously around. Vigilante rule number 3, theatrics are important. One of them grinned at the shilhouette in the shadows. "You brought arrows to a gunfight. How original." I grinned.

"What guns?" I fired a magnetic arrow, which ripped the weapons out of their grasp. Sera and I charged into the room. "Let's take these puppies apart!" I swung my bow into a criminals stomach, knocking him backwards. I grabbed a restraining arrow and fired, tying him to a support pillar. Another criminal managed to get a grip on my bow, but I let go and punched him twice in the face before kicking him backwards. He smacked his head on the counter, knocking him out cold. Well that takes care of them. I looked across the room to see how Sera was doing. She roundhouse-kicked a criminal into the wall, sending him crumpling in a heap. The final would-be bank robber must have realised he was fighting a losing battle, but he decided to go down swinging. "Don't try anything!" He pulled a Colt 45 from his pants. "I'm armed! Stay back!" I fired an arrow, knocking the weapon out of his grasp. Sera swung her foot at his head, but he dodged and sent the strike into a pillar; causing it to crack around the point of impact. His eyes widened with fear, realising he had poked the bears, and had made them very, VERY, angry. So his primordial survival instincts kicked in, and he sprinted for the exit.

"Go! I've got this!" I nodded at Sera and followed. Rain was pouring down in sheets. Good thing I chose to wear a hoodie. I thought to myself. The ground felt slippery, but I still tried to keep up with the fleeing criminal. The sound of the drops pouring down were almost as loud as my heartbeat, and my feet slamming against the ground in an effort to keep up. The criminal glanced back at me and turned left into a street market. I cursed silently to myself. There were hundreds of pedestrians, he could easily lose me in the crowd! I pushed myself harder. The criminal took a right turn into an alleyway, heading towards the throng on the opposite side. Sweat beaded down my forehead. As he was about to reach the midway point, a stack of plastic crates came tumbling down, pinning him underneath. I stopped in surprise. Kaori appeared from around the corner. "I overheard your conversation with Delta, and I figured you could use some help." She stretched her arms. "Plus, I couldn't wait around the house any longer, I had to get out and do something." I scowled at her.

"You shouldn't have come." I grabbed the robber by the neck and slammed him up against the wall. "Criminals like you don't magically get military grade assault weapons! I want to know who gave them to you!" He spat at me.

"Go to hell." I scowled and punched him in the face.

"Wrong answer! WHO. GAVE. YOU. THOSE. GUNS?!" With every word I slapped him harder in the face, causing his nose to start bleeding.

"It-it was a man at the docks!" He cried in tears. "H-he told us we would need them for our big job!"

"WHO?!"

"I-I don't know!" He managed to gasp out, turning his head to avert my gaze.

"THE ONLY THING YOU DON'T KNOW, IS HOW MANY SHADES OF PAIN I CAN DISH OUT! TELL ME!" Kaori gasped.

"He said he doesn't know!" I whacked him harder, causing his face to turn a dangerous shade of purple.

"HE'S LYING! TELL ME!"

"I-I don't know his name, but they were all dressed in black cloaks! We met with them at warehouse I-37! That's all I know, I swear!" I whacked him in the face once more, causing him to fall unconscious to the pavement. Then the fog cleared from my mind, and I stared at my bloody red hands in horror. Behind me, the pavement was starting to turn red with his blood.

_What have I done?_


	18. Chapter 17: What manner of sorcery?

**Chapter 16: What Manner Of Sorcery?**

"I can't believe you!" Ania threw her hands up in the air. "You were supposed to assist the police in diffusing the situation, not violently interrogate the suspect!" I shook my head. Kaori and I had returned from the alleyway to Dr Agasa's house, and by then my assault had been all over the news. The common reaction of many who were interviewed was luckily that of justification, as many residents felt that lives had been threatened and the vigilante had been aggravated by the situation.

But needless to say, Ania is definitely NOT happy.

"I did what I had to do! He was withholding valuable information! Information pertaining to THEM! We needed it, but he wasn't going to give it up easily!" She slammed her hand down on the table.

"ENOUGH OF YOUR EXCUSES! You could have killed that man! So does that make you any better than Schmidt, huh, SAMUEL 'FURY' LOW!" She stormed over to the basement door. "You're not invincible Sam, you're just an angry young man trying to play hero." The door slammed shut. I sighed and left the house. Maybe I need some space from her for a while.

OOO

I eventually settled down at a fountain next to shopping complex. "What is wrong with me?" Resting my head in my hands, I thought about the recent events. Ania's right. I'm not a hero. I'm just a crazy wannabe hero who can't control himself. But my actions, does that make me any better than them? What the hell am I even doing?

"You're beating yourself up aren't you?" I groaned.

"If you've come to make me feel worse, just do it." Kaori sat down next to me.

"Why would I do that?" She patted me on the back. "I'm not here to sugarcoat it Sam, but right now I'm assuming you're beating yourself up inside. Don't." She sighed and leaned back. "When I went to prison for murder, I felt angry. Not at Tokitsu but at myself. There were other courses of action I could have taken. I didn't have to kill him. But a small part of myself also kept clinging on to the idea that I was justified in my actions, that I had done what I needed to do. Nothing more, nothing less."

"But you hadn't." She twirled her fingers in her blonde hair and sighed.

"After a while, I realised my anger at myself wasn't getting anything done. It made me feel worse about myself, not better. In order for things to get better, I realised the world didn't need moving, I did. I needed to let go of my past, so I could cling on to that image of a better tomorrow."

I sighed. "Kaori, letting go has never been my strong suit. I've always let myself down before so many times, an-and I just don't know if there is any sort of future left for me anymore. I cling on to the darkness inside of me because it's part of who I am, and I just can't let that part of me go. What if I'm not meant to be a hero in this story? What if I'm just a nerd on a fool's crusade?"

**I don't think your friend chose you by accident Sam-kun. I shot to my feet and looked around anxiously.** That voice! "You."

"Who are you talking too?" Kaori asked. You are a special case, and I should like to meet both you before you meet your end. The air around us started to swirl and take on a purple tinge. "Sam! What is happening?!"

Then the darkness overtook us, and everything went black.

OOO

I groaned as I got up and surveyed my surroundings. "Not again. I've got to stop passing out." Kaori and I were in a dark dungeon. The stonework and torches gave an ominous air to the room. In front of us was a bookshelf filled with 'tasteful' titles such as 'Advanced Sorcery: Expanded Edition' and 'How to tame your demon.' Beside the bookshelf was a oak reading table with a modern day desk light, and another book titled 'Seduction Spells For Dummies.' But the thing that's troubling me most is the fact there is a large pentagram painted on the floor in red liquid. The question is, where did it come from?

"Someone must be a Harry Potter fangirl." Muttered Kaori. "Where are we?" **Puh-lees. JK Rowling doesn't even know witchcraft.** My finger went to the pen in my pocket. I completely agree with the guy who wrote the phrase about the pen being mightier than the sword was right. Stabbing an aortic artery kills a person a lot faster than stabbing them with a broadsword.

A girl with long flowing hair in a Ekoda high school uniform entered the dungeon. "Akako Koizumi." I narrowed my eyes. "What do you want?"

She smirked. "A month ago, my cards told me about an anomaly. Apparently, Kuroba wasn't the only invincible bachelor hanging around Tokyo. It took me a while, but my spells finally located you. The only other man who can resist my charms." She paced over to the desk. "Since only Kuroba-kun and I are destined to be together, you are an unnecessary variable that needs to be removed."

"Hates threesomes. I'll add that to the list." I said miming writing on a clipboard. She scowled at me.

"You dare to mock me?" I shrugged.

"I don't have anything else to do. ADHD, you see. I'm easily distracted."

Akako bunched up her fist and growled. "You are a real nuisance. And to think that Schmidt thought you could outsmart me. Looks like I'm going to have to destroy you. BOTH OF YOU!" A white spectre sporting a Fu Manchu moustache charged through the wall.

"I AM LUCIFER! EATER OF SOULS! SUBMIT TO MY MASTER!" Kaori and I dived for cover as a fireball exploded where we were previously standing. "Oh so that's what you look like. You always appear offscreen and we never get to see you." Another fireball sent a Ming vase containing black lilies exploding into porcelain shards. I crept behind a pillar closer to Akako. "What do you know about Schmidt?" I could feel the heat radiating off the pillar where a fireball had exploded on it. "He came to see me when he first arrived in this world. He required my assistance, but I decided that his plan of subjugation wasn't appealing to me." I heard Kaori scream as another fireball the size of a basketball shot past, just missing her. "I take back my fangirl comment, OKAY!"

"Besides, I refuse to work for men. They are so lazy."

"SAM! HELP!" I looked over and saw Lucifer charging towards Kaori. Okay. New plan. Less dodging, more attacking. I dived in front of Kaori, shielding her from the demon. The cold presence ran into me, but upon contact Lucifer exploded into blue sparks. He wailed as he slowly dissolved and disappeared into thin air. Akako gasped.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" I shrugged.

"Dunno, may have something to do with my beliefs. And my comic diet consisting of 'Hellblazer' and 'Constantine'." The witch gave a yell and charged towards me. It's time. I grabbed my pen and pretended it was a wand. "_Ezeerf_!"

Akako froze in midair. "No way, a restraining spell." Her face screwed up. "I can't move!" I pulled Kaori up and calmly walked forward.

"So this place is either limbo, or it's on a ley line. The lack of cobwebs lying around, and the strong presence of magic proves this. So," I walked around her. "Tell me what you know about Rodriguez Schmidt. You mentioned his plan about subjugation. What was that about?"

"Like I'll tell you. You are unworthy of this information!"

"You know, there are two ways that we can do this." Kaori pulled off one of Akako's shoes. "You can give us the information, or..." She started furiously tickling Akako's foot. The witch shrieked with laughter. I have to admit, that's kind of funny. "OK!OK! I'll tell you! Just stop tickling me!" Kaori stepped back as Akako caught her breath. She muttered more Latin and then dropped to the floor, unfrozen. I blinked and my hand went back to the pen. "Wait, why didn't you just free yourself earlier if you could escape?" She smiled and headed for the desk.

"Because you two are interesting!" Kaori shrugged and followed her. Okkaaayyyy. This is getting weird.

OOO

"Rodriguez Schmidt came to me seeking my skills in magic." Akako began. "He wanted me to teach him how to influence a person's decisions, in essence, mind control." She brought down a feather, a jar containing red liquid and a map of Beika City from the shelf. "He wanted to join some sort of shady organisation, one that is intertwined with the fate of this universe." I nodded.

"So that's how you know about Ania and I, and the portal which brought us here."

"Indeed. But that aside, I realised he wasn't a true believer in magic; just a man wanting to use it for ill-gotten gains. So I sent him away, warning him not to return. But my curiosity for the truth drove me. So I had my minions take a closer look. " She spilled the red liquid out onto the map. It pooled then spread into three dark clumps, marking areas in the map. One marked an abandoned warehouse facility near the harbour, another a large industrial facility near the centre of Tokyo, and the final was on the edge of the map. "The industrial facility must be a staging area. If you wanted to bring in heavy hardware undetected, that's the perfect way." I commented.

"For what?" Asked Kaori.

"An invasion. The abandoned industrial facility in the centre of the city is highly populated, meaning there could be large number of civilian casualties if he wanted."

"It's also 1 block away from Parliament House, and the Tokyo MPD. By capturing those two locations, there would be no opposition to his control." Added Akako. "But that is all the information you will get from this map. I'm afraid it is too dangerous for you to know too much information."

Suddenly, I could start hearing a high pitched ringing in my ears. Kaori stepped back from the table shakily and grabbed the sides to steady herself.

"The fabric of magic must be weakening." Akako tutted. "It is time for me to send you back." She motioned for us to stand in the middle of the room.

"One last thing. Before your journey ends, you will have to make a choice that will define who you are. Choose wisely, Sam Fury." Akako muttered some Latin, and the purple mist enveloped us again. When it cleared away, we were standing in front of Dr Agasa's house.

It took me 5 minutes to calm down and stop making tinfoil hats.


End file.
